{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Rachel Davidson","standfirst":"We are starting our first \u2018firebreak\u2019 \u2013 a short break in a development cycle to rejuvenate and reset the team. Because this process is new to us, we thought we would share the thinking behind it.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/7440/firebreak.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"altText":"Image of a post it note with audience: non-members looking for information. Parents, adults, young people. Written on it.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- wp:paragraph --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo develop our new website, we have been using the iterative development approach known as Agile. This means you build software in small, incremental stages, called sprints, working to achieve a series of goals that can be released as features or fixes periodically. In contrast to other approaches, Agile encourages the development and release of individual functions as opposed to a whole, finished product. This is what has enabled us to release our website in its \u201Cbeta\u201D stage.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph --\u003E \u003C!-- wp:paragraph --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EEach Agile development is unique, and we have chosen to work in three-week sprints. During this time our development and technical teams deliver features, bug fixes and infrastructure changes.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph --\u003E \u003C!-- wp:paragraph --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis is a very intensive way of working and the team can quickly burn out if the cycle is not broken. We looked to the Government Digital Service, Google and other tech organisations to see if they had any solutions, and they did \u2013 a\u00A0\u2018firebreak\u2019.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph --\u003E \u003C!-- wp:paragraph --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA firebreak is, as the GOV.UK team\u00A0\u003Ca rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2015/02/06/gov-uks-firebreak-why-and-how-we-spent-a-month-working-differently/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Edescribes it\u003C/a\u003E, a time to \u201Cinvestigate new ideas\u201D,\u00A0allowing developers to \u201Cscratch their own itches\u201D. We decided that a two-week firebreak once a quarter would help to maintain development pace and morale. The break would help the development and technical teams to reflect and recharge by working on their own ideas for the Scouts. We could also use this time to reflect on our work, meeting with key stakeholders to look at the year ahead and plan for the next quarter.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph --\u003E \u003C!-- wp:paragraph --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe also decided, to ensure we were maximising value from the \u2018break\u2019, that we would set some rules.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph --\u003E \u003C!-- wp:paragraph --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow it works\u003C/strong\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph --\u003E \u003C!-- wp:paragraph --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJust as in a normal sprint, the team comes together to discuss issues. In this case, they also discuss ideas they have had, to see whether it \u2018has\u00A0legs\u2019. As individuals, or in small groups, team members then pitch their idea, explaining what it is and why they feel it\u2019s important.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph --\u003E \u003C!-- wp:paragraph --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo ensure pitches are relevant to the development of our website, they\u00A0have to\u00A0fulfil these criteria:\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph --\u003E \u003C!-- wp:list --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Ethe idea must be related to the overall direction we are moving in;\u00A0\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- /wp:list --\u003E \u003C!-- wp:list --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Ethe work must be completed within the firebreak and take no longer.\u00A0\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- /wp:list --\u003E \u003C!-- wp:paragraph --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team then votes on ideas they want to work on and those they feel will positively impact the Scouts. From this, our firebreak work is decided. Development work then begins and is presented at the end of the two-week period.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph --\u003E \u003C!-- wp:paragraph --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe can\u2019t wait to share the outcomes of our first firebreak with you.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph --\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"16 July 2019","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":48487,"nodeName":"Planning a \u0027firebreak\u0027 \u2013 beta website development","title":"Planning a \u0027firebreak\u0027 \u2013 beta website development","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/7440/firebreak.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd3397cda0","caption":"Firebreak","type":"jpg","size":1570069,"width":1920,"height":1080,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Planning a \u0027firebreak\u0027 \u2013 beta website development","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Scouts digital transformation team using firebreaks during development cycles","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODQ4NyJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2019/july/planning-a-firebreak-beta-website-development/"}